I will not leave you orphans
Listening the Spirit
THANK YOU, FATHER, FOR THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT
Thank you, Father, for the gift of the Spirit that makes me belong to Christ, to the point of being one with Him.
Thank you, Father, because in the Holy Spirit you have made me a child in your Son Jesus.
Thank you, Father, because in the Spirit you have given me, I can call you: "Daddy" (Abba).
Thank you, Father, for the Spirit that dwells in me: He who raised Jesus from the dead will also give me life that does not die!
Thank you, Father, because by the power of the Holy Spirit, you have granted me to live not in slavery and fear, but in the freedom and joy of the children of God.
Amen.
Source: Piccoli Figli della Luce (my translation)
Listening the Word: John 14:15-21
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Reflection
Today´s liturgy gives us an strong statement which Jesus assures the disciples “I will not leave you orphans.” Though Jesus knows that He needs to depart physically from this world, Jesus will ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit to be with them always. This is a good news to all of us, Jesus assures us that we are His beloved children and it is walking with and within us everyday, He is always concerned about us.
Jesus´s presence is not only during the Eucharist, during the moments of prayer, but Jesus presence is made visible through our daily life when we are able to love one another as Jesus taught us. That is why we may always be happy that our Father is always concerned to us, His beloved children. At the moments of difficulties and joys in our lives we need to thank our beloved Father for everything. After all, we are not alone, we have our Father who understands us, who walks with us.
Jesus is always ready to help us, ready to intercede for us to His Father no matter how much our faults and mistakes are, Jesus still loves us and desires our salvation. Therefore, let us always remain in Him while keeping His commandments, let us not think that we are the worst in this world.
The commandment Jesus talks about is loving one another. Let us love one another while serving each other, while being able to respect the dignity of others, while being able to forgive our offenders, and to learn from Jesus our Master so that, we will not put limits to love others following the footsteps of Jesus.
Reflection Questions
- In what moments of my life do I feel alone or abandoned, and how does Jesus’ promise, “I will not leave you orphans,” give me hope and strength?
- How do I make Jesus’ presence visible in my daily life through love, forgiveness, respect, and service to others?
- What limits or difficulties prevent me from loving others as Jesus taught us, and how can I learn to love more like Him?
